Suspect arrested in murder of 20-year-old Claflin University student

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Tuesday an arrest has been made in the shooting death of a Claflin University student.

Claflin student O’Brian Grant, 20, of Santee, was found dead around 10:30 a.m. Saturday along Legendary Drive.

Nathaniel Grant, 28 – no relation to the victim – was a person of interest early in the case and was aware of that and became uncomfortable enough to make some mistakes that got him caught Monday night, the sheriff said.

The suspect was arrested in Orangeburg County and charged with murder, grand larceny and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the sheriff said. The murder weapon was a stolen firearm, the sheriff said.

The larceny charge stemmed from the theft of the victim’s car, according to the sheriff.

The suspect changed the tag and hid the car behind an abandoned house, the sheriff said.

He’s not new to the jail due to a criminal history, “some of which played out in the particular case,” the sheriff said.

The sheriff said the suspect’s past offenses include removing tags from vehicles, possession of a stolen vehicle, pointing and presenting a firearm, domestic violence and failure to stop for blue lights.

Ravenell called the killing a “senseless crime,” but added that “the thing we are trying to piece together is the motive.”

He said the suspect tried to convince authorities he had bought the car on the day of the killing, providing a document that was actually an invoice instead of a bill of sale, which was “the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” the sheriff said.

The announcement of the arrest came a day after the sheriff issued a stern warning for the people responsible for the murder of the college student as well as a separate killing the night before.

“I want the Orangeburg County community to know that until these individuals are brought to justice. They are going to be uncomfortable as hell,” Ravenell said Monday afternoon. “I also want them to know that the next time they see me on TV, they’ll be standing - or a picture’ll be behind me of them, and I would promise the community that that won’t be long.”

And that was exactly the case during the news conference Tuesday afternoon where the sheriff announced the arrest as Nathaniel Grant’s photo was displayed on a large-screen TV behind him.

Ravenell said his team had been running on “very little sleep” as they investigated the pair of deadly shootings that happened within 15 hours of each other.

An autopsy of O’Brian Grant is scheduled this week.

Claflin said in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we share the ing of one of our students, O’Brian Grant. He will be deeply missed by the Claflin University community.”

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating a shooting Friday night that resulted in the death of a 34-year-old.

The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office says Samson Green, 34, of Orangeburg, was pronounced dead on the scene of a shooting that was reported around 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Crown Inn on Bamberg Highway.

The case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about either case is urged to call 803-534-3550.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.